By Mahendra Ratnaweera
South African women bowed out with grace from the Colombo triangular series in the last match of the first round by recording their only win in the series.
They dealt a decisive blow to the hosts who will now face India in the final on Sunday looking to be in disarray after a 76 run thrashing.
Atapattu won the toss and asked Laura Volvaardt who was returning to the side after missing the last game to bat.
The proteas women captain and Tazmin Brits put on 68 solid runs for the first wicket.
The introduction of the 19 year old off spinner Dewmi Vihanga had Brits taken low down at slip by Hasinee Perera in Vihanga’s second over.
She took 5 in a row to make South Africa 85 for 5 striking twice in the 20th ever. Vihanga by then had the best bowling figures for a Sri Lankan woman in an ODI beating Sandamali Dolewatta’s five fer way back in 2002.
A mistake by Atapattu led to Vihanga booking just 9 without completing her full allocation to which the Sri Lankan captain admitted at the post match press conference.
Annerie Dercksen who scored a magnificent 104 off just 84 balls and Chloe Tryon who made a 51 ball 74 gave some stick to local bowlers by hitting 10 sixes between them.
South Africans blasted 114 from the last 10 to finish 315 off 50.
The Sri Lankan reply was swift – Hasini Perera 30 off 26 balls and Vishmi Gunaratne 24 off 41 put on 52 by the 10th over. Atapattu who finally scored an ODI 50 after many games and the reliable Harshitha Samarawickrama added 56.
The under 19 Captain Manudi Nanayakkara the replacement for Kavisha Dilhari was scratching around at below the required rate.
Sri Lanka has reached 227 in the 41st over when Chloe Tryon had her hat trick by accounting for Vihanga and then Sugandika Kumari and Malki Madara to finish with her 5 for 34. Sri Lanka were bundled out in the 43rd over to finish with two wins and two losses.
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